


switchin' them positions

by doingthemost, singsongsung



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alexis uses the word 'nightcap' the way Jake uses the word 'whiskey', Episode: s05e05 Housewarming, F/F, F/M, Fade to Black, Foreplay, Multi, Spin the Bottle, Threesome - F/F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:21:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28772256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doingthemost/pseuds/doingthemost, https://archiveofourown.org/users/singsongsung/pseuds/singsongsung
Summary: Twyla’s eyes dart back up and clash, hard, against Alexis’. It’s not like it is with Ted, a flame kindled between them, one she’s tended to, one that burns in a way she knows and wants. But there’s something there, with Twyla, sparking; something that, with the right turn of the wind, might just be wildfire.“Yeah,” Twyla says. “Yes. I - ” She swallows, and Alexis watches the line of her throat as she does. “I want to.”During Patrick's housewarming, Ted's spin lands on Twyla instead.
Relationships: Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands, Theodore "Ted" Mullens/Alexis Rose, Theodore "Ted" Mullens/Alexis Rose/Twyla Sands, Twyla Sands/Theodore "Ted" Mullens
Comments: 14
Kudos: 35





	switchin' them positions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wanderinghope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderinghope/gifts).



> Happy birthday, wanderinghope! <3
> 
> Title from "positions" by Ariana Grande.

The bottle spins lazily on Patrick's floor. Twyla watches its path with a mild, almost-detached fascination as it begins to slow; her head's light and airy, full of the perfect kind of buzz. Somehow, the world's a little sharper _and_ fuzzier all at the same time, like she's tuned into what really matters in this altered state, but her attention drifts from the background music to a side conversation about favourite movies and her plans for the weekend as the bottle comes to a stop.

"Hey, _Twy_?" Ted's voice scales up on Alexis' nickname for her, just like it does when her name's in Alexis' mouth. It's such a pitch-perfect impression of Alexis that Twyla blinks, startled, then looks down at the bottle. It's pointing right at her.

She forces a laugh. "We don't have to," she says, shaking her head; her hands raise, palms out. "Since you're dating Alexis."

Stevie elbows Twyla, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, why are you guys even playing?"

"Because it's fun!" Alexis shrugs one shoulder, and the silk robe she's wearing falls down to expose the strap of her slip. Twyla's eyes dart down, distracted by the adjustment of the fabric and absolutely nothing else, before she pulls them back to Alexis' face. "It's like, a totally harmless lil' game."

"Totally," Ted says. His voice rumbles in his throat as he tries to match Alexis' inflection again. "Just a –" His hands come up to his chest, then fold at the wrists. "Harmless lil' game."

" _Ted_!" Alexis turns her head, narrowing her eyes at him, but she's laughing all the same. "Go ahead and kiss her."

"My god." David sends his eyes skyward, keeping them there, and Patrick places a placating hand on his arm. "Kiss Twyla already so we can get this inanity over with."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Patrick says to Twyla quietly, but she smiles.

"It's fine!" If Alexis is fine with it, so is Twyla. Like she said, it's a harmless game. "It's just Ted."

"It's just Ted," Ted agrees. "Just me."

He clambers into the middle of the circle, crawling on his hands and knees despite the fact that the center's barely more than a step away from where he'd been seated. His shoulders and chest seem to ripple with the movement – not that Twyla's paying attention – and she obligingly meets him there.

Ted places his hands on her waist as she lifts her arms to reach for his face, and his palms settle onto the small of her back, underneath her raised shirt. It's already more than she bargained for, and she can't help the startled gasp that escapes her. He grins, his eyes flashing up to meet hers and double-check that this is okay, and then all of a sudden they're kissing.

She's expecting it to be brief and quick, a short little press of Ted's lips to hers. But his lips are softer than she thought they'd be, the barest bit of insistence behind his actions. His fingers dig into her skin, his thumbs stroking her waist, and she opens for him as he bites a little at her lower lip, leaning up against his chest. Her hands trace the path of his skin, stroking down his shoulders and onto his arms, and he laughs against her mouth, low and intimate, like this is something that's always been on his mind.

She has no idea how long the kiss lasts; a few seconds and a few minutes both feel equally right. And as she pulls away, stunned and breathing heavily, Twyla has no idea what to do with the knowledge of what Ted's mouth tastes like. Their eyes meet as they recede back to their spaces in the circle, and he shoots her a dazed little grin as he takes his place back at Alexis' side.

"That was interesting," Stevie says dryly.

One of Patrick's friends chimes in to agree, but Twyla can't hear whatever they're saying; she's too busy running her tongue over where Ted had bitten her lip. She risks a guilty look over at Alexis, then flushes once she notices how Alexis is looking at her: instead of anger or jealousy, there's a quiet sort of intent that Twyla doesn't know how to interpret.

"There go all my suspicions about what it'd be like to kiss Ted or Twyla," David says airily. "I thought that would be much more boring."

" _David_." Alexis' face goes through a series of distinct, indignant contortions, and her brother echoes them right back to her from the other end of the circle. "Ted is an _excellent_ , very arousing kisser."

"Thanks, babe," Ted says with a grin, over the sounds of David's fake vomit.

"Any time, babe." Alexis' attention shifts over to Twyla, and the barest hint of a smirk appears in the corner of her mouth. "And I'm sure Twy's a great kisser, too."

"I'm sorry we kissed," Twyla says suddenly, unable to help it. Her hands flex on her knees as she tries to come up with something else to say or do.

"Don't even worry about it." Alexis smiles at her, though, small and steady, and Twyla takes comfort in the fact that it's not one of her big, toothy grins, the ones she wears for show. She knows this smile from mornings in the café, shared over a cup of tea, or late night gossip while Twyla's cleaning up. "It looked like fun."

"It was fun," Ted agrees. He grins at Twyla, his eyes crinkling in the corners, and a flicker of something – fondness, maybe, or friendship, but certainly not interest – twists in her chest. "Your turn now."

Twyla takes a deep breath. She wants to back out of the game, to retreat somewhere safe, but this isn't the café; there isn't a counter here she can hide behind. She lifts her eyes up to Alexis again, who nods encouragingly at her, and after Stevie elbows her hard in the ribs, Twyla reaches for the bottle.

She sends the bottle spinning with a flick of her wrist, watching idly as it starts to slow down… then comes to a stop, pointing very clearly towards Alexis.

There's silence for a moment, Patrick's background music suddenly front and center, before Ted guffaws out a laugh. "Nice!"

"This is supposed to be more fun than whatever's happening now," David says to Patrick, but Twyla can barely hear him over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

It's not as though she has _feelings_ for Alexis. They're best friends, yes, a fact that she doesn't take for granted, and she loves how happy Alexis is with Ted. Better yet, she loves how happy Ted is with Alexis. They're perfect for each other, as far as Twyla's concerned, and if she's ever thought about what it would be like to make Alexis smile like she does when she's with him, well. It's just something that's occurred to her out of simple, plain curiosity.

"Ready?" Alexis asks. She's watching Twyla intently, almost like she's considering something; despite the circumstances and the party that surrounds them, there's a little more gravity in her eyes.

Guilt swells in Twyla's heart again. She looks at Ted, this time, a mirroring of what had just happened a few minutes ago, and he holds two thumbs up to her. "May as well kiss both of us!"

Alexis laughs, and a little bit of the tension seems to leave her face as she shifts her attention from Ted to Twyla, nodding like she's decided something. "Hunny p, babes."

Her voice is low and alluring, catching and echoing in Twyla's senses. It draws Twyla into the center of the room, her mouth dry and her palms a little sweaty. She wipes them quickly on her pyjama pants as Alexis settles in front of her, kneeling, too; she's still taller than Twyla like this, of course, so Twyla reaches up for the lapels of her silk robe and uses it to tug Alexis' mouth down closer toward her.

And then Alexis' hands are cupping her face and her lips are on Twyla's and she's coaxing Twyla's mouth open with her own, eager and insistent. It's something Twyla's thought about maybe once or twenty times, and the shock of a dream come true is enough for a little needy noise to escape her as she tightens her hold on Alexis' clothes, pulling Alexis' body against her own. Alexis giggles, smiling into the kiss, and she leans forward as Twyla pulls and suddenly Alexis is straddling her, her hands in Twyla's hair, and –

"Okay, okay," David's saying loudly. He swats at their shoulders with a slipper like he's too disgusted to touch them with his bare hands. "Wow. Okay. All _three_ of you are hereby disqualified from spin the bottle because _no one_ understands how to keep this to just a peck on the lips."

Twyla's pretty sure she's forgotten how to breathe, or how to do anything else but long for the spark in Ted's eyes or the warmth in Alexis' smile. She should feel lighter when Alexis gets off of her lap, withdrawing back to her side of the circle with a smirk on her swollen lips, but all she feels is the absence of someone – either of them, or both.

"Yeah," Twyla says, and tries to force a laugh. She doesn't know who to look at, so she directs her words to Patrick's walls. "I think I'm done with this game."

* * *

In Patrick’s kitchen, Alexis gently wrestles a red solo cup out of her boyfriend’s grip. “I don’t think we need this,” she says, setting it down on a countertop cluttered with other discarded cups and chip bags.

Ted uses his empty hands to clasp hers. “Thanks, big guy,” he says.

“Mmkay,” Alexis replies, giving his fingers a squeeze. “We’re gonna have to talk about where that came from and also put it away for good.”

Ted nods easily and then lights up, pointing across the room. “They’re playing Twister!”

Alexis looks past his finger at the group of Patrick’s friends laying out the Twister mat, and then even further, to where Twyla is hovering by herself by a window, a bottle of wine held loosely and carelessly in her grasp, her hand dangling down by her side and her gaze far away.

“Okay, babe,” she says, turning back to Ted. “I think we’re done with this party. Why don’t you find your other slipper, and then we can go home?”

“Sure,” Ted says, and then releases her hands to slip his arms around her waist as he kisses her. Alexis leans into him, enjoying, as always, the press of his body into hers, especially when he’s wearing as little as he is right now. She skims her tongue over his bottom lip, trying to figure out if he tastes different, wondering if _she_ tastes different, like Twyla’s mouth, a combination of the stevia in store-brand Coke, rum, and the peppermint taste of her lip balm.

Ted pulls her closer, hand slipping lower on her back until it settles on her ass, and Alexis strongly suspects she’s going to be on the receiving end of another thwack from David’s slipper soon, but she kisses Ted back for another lingering moment, her arm looping around his neck. She can feel the delicious sizzle of sparks between them, and she’s curious about what started it - his lips meeting Twyla’s, her legs bracketing around Twyla’s, the starry glaze in Twyla’s eyes, the _heat_ and _intention_ in Twyla’s mouth…

Alexis bites into the soft flesh of Ted’s lower lip and relishes the way his soft groan gets lost in her mouth. Whatever it was, she wants to know.

“Your slipper, babe,” she reminds him, keeping her voice nice and even, businesslike, even as her heart beats fast in her chest.

“Yeah,” he agrees. His eyes are dark with lust and they stay fixed on her mouth for an extra instant before he moves away.

Alexis has already located Ted’s slipper near Patrick’s nightstand, but she lets him go on his quest to find it, taking opportunity of the time it affords her to go on a quest of her own. Tying the belt of her silk robe loosely at her waist, she strides across the apartment, skirting around the Twister game and a small cluster of people who seem to be attempting to organize a game of Flip Cup.

She takes the last couple of steps toward Twyla more slowly, so that her appearance at Twyla’s side isn’t a total surprise. “Hey, Twy,” she says, softly, lightly.

Twyla turns to look at Alexis. Her eyes are a particularly bright, blazing green, and they burn into Alexis’ skin. “Hi,” she says.

Alexis tosses her hair back over her shoulder. “This party is, like, totally lame.” She casts a look in her brother’s direction and feels a brief, gross burst of affection at the fact that he actually really seems to be enjoying himself, in his unsexy matching pyjamas with his boyfriend. “We’re gonna leave.” She leaves a careful pause – not too short, not too long – before she adds, “Wanna come?”

Twyla’s eyes widen slightly and then she bites down on her bottom lip. Alexis draws in a breath, losing a touch of her cool. Is Twyla wearing lipstick, or is her mouth a little red from kissing Ted, from kissing _her_? Without thinking about it, she slides her fingertips down along Twyla’s forearm.

Looking down, Twyla follows the path of Alexis’ fingers with her eyes. She’s breathing quickly, a little shallowly, and Alexis catches a glimpse of her cleavage, just barely displayed by the v-neck cut of her t-shirt. Twyla’s freckles are dappled along her collarbones and seem to keep going over her chest. Alexis finds herself licking her lips, her fingertips tickling along Twyla’s palm now.

“Twy?” she asks.

Twyla’s eyes dart back up and clash, hard, against Alexis’. It’s not like it is with Ted, a flame kindled between them, one she’s tended to, one that burns in a way she knows and wants. But there’s something there, with Twyla, sparking; something that, with the right turn of the wind, might just be wildfire.

“Yeah,” Twyla says. “Yes. I - ” She swallows, and Alexis watches the line of her throat as she does. “I want to.”

“Awesome, babe,” Alexis says. Her fingers have linked oh-so-slightly through Twyla’s, and she’s surprised by how softly the words leave her mouth.

Twyla pulls her hand away and wraps it around the bottle of wine she’s holding, using both hands to lift it to her mouth and taking a swig. It leaves her lips wet; kissable, lickable. “I’ll just, um.” She pushes her hair behind one of her ears, and Alexis resists the temptation to assist. “I’ll meet you outside?”

“Sure,” Alexis says easily. She looks over her shoulder for Ted, and finds him with both slippers on, peering at a phone being held toward him by one of Patrick’s friends, undoubtedly looking at pictures of someone’s pet. “See you outside.”

As she goes to collect Ted, she hears Twyla telling Stevie that she’s going to go home. She gives the room a cursory once-over, looking for Patrick, finds him playing Twister, and decides she doesn’t need to say goodbye.

Ted greets her with a warm, “Hey, sweetie!” and a kiss, like it’s been hours since they’ve seen one another, not minutes. He gestures to Patrick’s friend’s phone. “Look at the _cat_ itude on this guy!”

“Very fierce,” Alexis says, barely looking at the screen. “Let’s go, babe?”

Ted nods. “Ten percent off your pet’s first wellness visit!” he tells the group at large as Alexis gently steers him toward the door.

Out in the hall, she tells him, “Twyla’s going to come with us.”

“Okay,” Ted says. It’s not until they’re halfway down the stairs to the ground floor, moving slowly thanks to Ted’s one slipper with escapist dreams, that he seems to really register what she’s said to him, and he blinks in moderate confusion as he looks at her. “Twyla's coming over? To my place? With us?”

“Yes.” Alexis realizes, as they step outside, that her father’s housecoat was left somewhere in the apartment. “Here, babe,” she says, shrugging out of her own robe and handing it to Ted; he always complains that he’s cold when they’ve been drinking.

He slips into the pink silk and ties the belt. “Twyla’s coming over,” he says again, his tone prompting, asking for more information.

“Mmhm.” Alexis steps closer and tugs at the lapels of the robe, securing it firmly around Ted’s chest. “I thought we could all have a nightcap.”

He puts his hands on her waist, causing her slip to ride up a bit. She’s a little chilly, but it’s not particularly uncomfortable. “You… want to have a nightcap?” he asks slowly. “With Twyla?” His eyes are so pretty, and so steady on her face, save for the quickest drop down to her cleavage before he overcomes his distraction. “Tonight?”

“Yes,” Alexis says. She leans in and kisses his jaw, just below his ear, but makes sure to pull back enough to meet his gaze as she says, “If you want to. And if she wants to.”

“I…” Ted looks briefly overwhelmed. “I could want to.”

She nods and gives his chest a gentle pat. “I saw how you kissed her.”

“Lex - ”

“I’m not, like, upset about it, babe. I want to - ” She wiggles her eyebrows and shimmies. “Have that nightcap.”

The door of the building swings open, and Twyla steps out, wearing a lightweight jacket over her pyjamas, the bottle of wine she was holding discarded somewhere back in the apartment.

“Hey, gorgeous!” Alexis says, and extends a hand toward her. Twyla doesn’t hesitate to join them, but her steps are slow, just this side of cautious.

Alexis hooks an arm through Twyla’s, and then repeats the gesture on her other side with Ted, using the leverage to pull both of them close to her sides as they begin the walk to the clinic. It’s not far – Patrick’s apartment is four-and-a-half blocks away from Schitt’s Creek’s main thoroughfare – and both Ted and Twyla obviously know the way, but she likes having them pressed close on either side of her, all of their footsteps finding their way into a synchronized, comfortable rhythm. Twyla’s footfalls are quiet and steady in her sneakers and Ted’s slippers shuffle; Alexis’ heels are the loudest by far.

They’ve walked about a block, and just made a right turn, when Ted says, “Hey, Twyla.”

He’s pointing, and Alexis looks past his extended finger to see a small overgrown section of land between two more neatly manicured yards. There are a couple boulders on it, and some other random detritus, including a broken broom and the frame of a tricycle.

On Alexis’ left, Twyla laughs softly; two pretty, crisp notes that Alexis wants to taste. “Pride Rock,” she murmurs.

Alexis jostles her elbow again Ted’s side a little, simultaneously tilting her head to rest her cheek briefly against Twyla’s hair. “Loop me in, babes.”

She’s gratified to feel Twyla pressing in a bit closer as Ted says, “We used to reenact _The Lion King_ there.”

“Ted had this Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal. We’d pretend it was Simba,” Twyla contributes.

“That is, like, the cutest thing I’ve ever heard,” Alexis says.

“But maybe not the safest thing,” Ted muses. “I fell off that rock once and skinned both knees.” His mouth makes a shape that Alexis doesn’t entirely recognize, one with contours that aren’t quite familiar to her. “Twyla was a very good nurse.”

Alexis shimmies, her shoulders knocking both of theirs. “Did she kiss your boo-boos better?” she teases.

“Yeah, actually,” Ted says on a laugh with a slight, bashful dip of his head.

Alexis’ eyes move slowly back and forth between their faces, clocking their expressions, wondering if a precious childhood memory might kill the currents buzzing between their bodies – but no. Despite the shy smile tucked into Twyla’s cheeks, and despite the way Ted’s chin is pulled toward his chest, they’re both doing exactly what she’s doing, sneaking careful glances, desire not totally disguised. Schitt’s Creek is pretty dark at night, streetlights spread far apart, but there are enough patches of illumination for Alexis to see what’s happening in their eyes, flashing through blue and green.

They turn a corner, swinging left, walking in the street. All six of their feet are still beating against the pavement in easy syncopation, and Alexis feels assured that they’re all still on the same page.

-

At Ted’s place, Alexis shoos both Ted and Twyla toward the couch and heads for the kitchen to get them all glasses of water – there was talk of a nightcap, after all. She doesn’t think Twyla’s particularly drunk, and since they left Patrick’s Ted hasn’t tried to call anyone “big guy,” but she figures some hydration is nonetheless not a bad idea.

She fills three glasses and then decides that they look unbearably boring, so she gives the martini glasses she and Ted were drinking from earlier a thorough rinse, pours the water into those, and then spears some olives onto toothpicks, which she tosses into the martini glasses. She keeps the lone, standard, olive-free glass of water for herself, because she wants Twyla and Ted to understand just how invested she is in both of them and _their_ wants tonight.

When she returns to the living room, she finds them sitting a bit closer on the couch than she expected to, knees angled toward one another but not touching. Ted’s shed her robe; it’s lying over the back of the couch along with Twyla’s coat. Alexis wants to shimmy into the small space between them, to trace patterns on the skin of their freshly-bared arms and warm them both up, but she restrains herself and sits on the coffee table in front of them instead, handing over glasses.

“Oh,” Twyla says, holding its stem between two fingers. Her hands are delicate – so much of her is delicate, but her mouth hadn’t been, pressing fiercely into Alexis’, and those delicate hands had gripped Alexis’ robe so tightly, tugged her in so close. “Thank you, Alexis, but I don’t think I want a martini.”

Alexis waves a hand through the air. She crosses her legs and then uncrosses them, lets her knees drift apart a little, and suppresses the impulse to shimmy in satisfaction when two pairs of eyes drop down to her legs before hurrying back up to her face again. “It’s water, babe.”

“With olives?” Ted asks.

“That’s really sweet,” Twyla says, and takes a cautious sip. Ted stares down into his glass uncertainly, so Alexis trades with him and gulps down some water from the martini glass instead, and – okay. So the olives were a bad idea.

She sets the glass aside and inches closer to them, perched at the very edge of the coffee table. Ted’s hand settles on her knee, fingertips grazing over her thigh. She picks his hand up, kisses his knuckles, and then sets it back down, a little higher up on her leg.

“You guys can kiss,” she says softly. “If you want.”

Twyla glances briefly at Ted and then looks up at Alexis through her lashes. Her grip is tighter on the stem of the martini glass now. Alexis lays her hand gently on Twyla’s thigh, just above Twyla’s knee, the same place Ted’s hand is in on her own leg. She can feel the warmth of Twyla’s skin through the fabric of her pyjama pants.

“You don’t have to.” She shifts so that Ted’s hand brushes along the inside of her thigh. In her peripheral vision, she sees him reach out with his other hand to set his glass of water aside. “But you can.”

Ted clears his throat. He’s got the hem of Alexis’ slip between his forefinger and thumb, and she wants to climb onto him every bit as badly as she wants to climb onto Twyla, but she’s resisting both temptations. “We’ve, uh.” He looks at Alexis for a beat before focusing his attention on Twyla. “We’ve all been drinking. So if you don’t want to, that’s - ”

“I’m not drunk,” Twyla cuts in, her voice soft but certain. “I was halfway through my second beer when - ” She presses her lips together, and swallows so hard Alexis thinks she can hear it.

“When Ted kissed you,” Alexis fills in. She drops a shoulder, and the strap of her slip very cooperatively slips down off of it. Ted and Twyla suck in a breath in almost perfect unison, and it’s so cute and it’s so hot and Alexis wants them both so, _so_ much. She readjusts the strap of her slip, very generously, so that they can both imagine pulling it down again. “Twy knows the word no.” She glances at Twyla for confirmation, receives a nod, and turns to Ted as she continues, “And we totally know how to hear it.”

“Totally,” he agrees, with such sincere, forceful nodding that Alexis is momentarily distracted by the feeling of her heart melting. She moves in closer, just barely sitting on the coffee table now, and feels Ted make a fist around her slip’s hem as she gently turns his chin toward Twyla.

“So if you want to kiss each other,” she murmurs. “Kiss each other.”

Ted’s hand extends slowly, and it comes to rest on Twyla’s hand, in her lap. Alexis gently plucks the martini glass Twyla’s holding away, setting it at her side on the coffee table, and Twyla’s newly-freed hand curls around Ted’s wrist as she leans forward. Ted leans in, too, and Alexis realizes she’s holding her breath as their mouths meet.

Their kisses are slower and softer than they were at the party, exploratory. Alexis strokes her thumb idly around each of Ted’s knuckles, watching as Twyla’s hand lifts to press against his chest, as his tongue slips into Twyla’s mouth.

She wants to touch Twyla, too, but doesn’t want to overwhelm her, so she settles onto the couch behind Ted, kissing along the side of his neck and sliding her hands beneath his tight undershirt, skimming them over his abdominal muscles. He groans into Twyla’s mouth, and Twyla’s hand makes contact with Alexis’ from the other side of Ted’s shirt.

Alexis hums against the juncture of Ted’s shoulder and neck, slowly working his shirt upward so that Twyla’s hand eventually makes contact with his skin. Alexis scrapes a fingernail very lightly against one of Ted’s nipples, then pulls his shirt up over his head, forcing Ted and Twyla to break their kiss.

Tossing Ted’s shirt aside, Alexis sets her hand atop of Twyla’s on his chest, gently linking their fingers together. “Good?” she asks.

“Yeah,” Twyla breathes, licking her lips, as Ted reaches back and gets a hand into Alexis’ hair.

Alexis watches Twyla’s eyes rake down Ted’s bare torso and then up again. “Good,” she says once more, happily, not a question this time. She kisses the edge of Ted’s jaw and then half-climbs into his lap, straddling one of his legs, keeping her hand and Twyla’s pressed against his chest.

She leans in closer to Twyla and Twyla meets her halfway, her mouth hot and greedy. Alexis hears Ted murmur _fuck_ very softly, and she gasps, “ _Yes_ ,” against Twyla’s lips, a wholehearted agreement. “Will you touch me, Twy?”

Twyla nods, their noses brushing, and then they’re kissing again and her fingers are tracing so softly along the lace at the neckline of Alexis’ slip, dipping just _barely_ beneath. Ted’s mouth is on her shoulder, alternating between sharp teeth and soothing tongue. She whimpers against Twyla’s lips, feeling so undone by the two of them, and everyone’s still wearing most of their clothing.

“Twy,” she sighs, pulling Twyla’s body as close to hers as possible, so that all three of them are pressed together. “Can I - ”

But then, as if they coordinated it without speaking a word, Ted’s mouth is on her chest, following the neckline of her slip just as Twyla’s fingers just were, and Twyla’s kissing her again, tongue tracing Alexis’ teeth like she wants to learn every single contour of her mouth. And Alexis wants her to; she wants _everything_.

“Please,” she finds herself gasping, the fabric of Twyla’s t-shirt fisted in her hands. “Please, can I - ”

“Yes,” Twyla gasps back, and Alexis pulls the shirt up and over Twyla’s head, revealing a pastel purple bra.

“You’re - so beautiful, Twyla,” Ted says, voice quiet, breathing heavy. Alexis pushes a fond hand through his hair, nails running along his scalp, her eyes on the flushed skin of Twyla’s chest. “ _God_ ,” Ted breathes, looking from Twyla to Alexis and back again.

Alexis smiles softly. She rocks down against Ted’s thigh just a little, giving in to her arousal for a moment, and he moans, his hands landing on her hips in a tight grip as his head falls back against the couch, his jaw clenched. The pleasure she feels when Twyla leans in, nuzzling into his neck before sucking lightly at his skin – it’s like it spreads through every inch of her body.

“I want to touch you,” she tells Twyla, running her index finger down along Twyla’s bra strap and then cupping Twyla’s breast lightly in her hand. “And…” She brushes her other hand, feather-light, over Ted’s hard-on on top of his boxers, and he groans again, tugging at Twyla’s hair lightly to pull her into a kiss. Alexis waits for them to separate, both breathless, before she continues, “I’d like to touch Ted, too.” She leans in to nudge Ted’s nose with hers, prompting him to meet her eyes, and once he does she turns to Twyla, looking at her steadily. “That okay, babes?”

“ _Yes_ , Lex,” Ted murmurs, and Twyla kisses Alexis, says a soft little, “Yes,” into her mouth and then bites her bottom lip. Alexis slides her hand into Ted’s boxers and dips her head to bite at Twyla’s nipple through her bra and thinks, fleetingly, that she’s going to have to tell Patrick he throws a good party.

* * *

The next morning, Twyla's gently rustled awake by a shifting in the bed to her left. She blinks, startled by the presence of someone next to her and the unfamiliar walls before Ted sits up, facing away from her as he silently stretches his arms above his head. And then everything flashes back to her: her hands tightening in Alexis' hair, Ted showing her how to touch Alexis, her lips on Ted's chest while Alexis' breasts pressed into her back.

It isn't just the sex that's burned into her mind. Ted had fallen asleep soon after they'd landed in his bed, and after Alexis had fluffed both of their pillows and wrapped an arm around Twyla, they'd stayed up later, talking quietly through vaguely-muffled giggles like it was perfectly normal for them to cuddle in Alexis' boyfriend's bed together, naked.

She doesn't know how early it is, but she's overcome with gratitude for the sense her past self exhibited in requesting to have today off. Ted has a full day ahead of him, and Twyla imagines that she can see the weight of it in the way he's rolling his shoulders.

Their eyes meet once he starts stretching his back and twists to his left, and Twyla's suddenly very aware that if she tilts her head to the side and looks around the bunched-up duvet, she can see a glimpse of his ass. It feels more intimate than anything they did the night before, and she bites her lip to stop from laughing in disbelief.

 _Hey,_ he mouths around a shy little smile.

She presses her lips together, struggling to control herself, before she answers as quietly as he had: _Hi._

Ted looks past her for a moment, at what she can only presume is Alexis' sleeping figure before he looks back at Twyla and shrugs one shoulder, his smile broadening.

"Gotta _goat_ ," he whispers.

And just like that, he's getting up and rummaging around for his clothes, seemingly-satisfied with the fact that Twyla's in his bed, that she's staying there once he leaves. She shouldn't be surprised; they've always been friends, and she's always cared for Ted. She just didn't know how much that was reciprocated until now.

-

Once he's freshly-showered and in his scrubs, Ted bends down to kiss Alexis goodbye. She wraps one arm around his neck, clinging a little and murmuring something Twyla can't hear as he starts to draw back, and Twyla suddenly feels the force of their relationship, how much her presence here could potentially hurt it.

She's almost about to bolt; she can't be the reason why Alexis and Ted split up. But then Ted's circling the bed, coming back around to the left and kneeling to reach her in the middle, and then they're kissing, too. There's none of the heat or the exploration or the frenzy of the previous night, just the barest press of his lips to hers, but his eyes linger on hers when the kiss breaks.

" _Cat_ you both later," he says with a broad wave of his hand, and then he's gone.

Alexis stirs, running a hand through her hair. Her eyes are still closed, and she's seemingly-unbothered by the fact that the duvet's gathered around her waist, revealing her breasts. It's nothing Twyla hasn't seen before by this point, but it's somehow so brazen _and_ matter-of-fact, so _Alexis_ , that Twyla can't help how her heart catches in her throat.

"Morning, Twy," Alexis says after a moment, rolling onto her side. She blinks slowly, sleepily, and reaches for Twyla's arm, pulling her in. It's another gentle kiss, just like how Ted had kissed them both goodbye, and Twyla sighs into it even as she wonders how much more time she has with Alexis before her luck runs out.

Her worries hit her hard again, like when she'd jolted wide awake the other night after an intense dream about unicorn jousting. She doesn't want to be – _can't be_ – a homewrecker. She's been a part of too many relationships that have failed, witnessed too many hearts being broken, and she's learned to be careful with her own. Alexis has always felt safe and unattainable as Ted's girlfriend, someone Twyla could crush on from afar. But now that everything's shifted, now that Alexis is shifting, pressing her into Ted's bed, it's suddenly all too much.

"Alexis," she says into the kiss, an almost-desperate sound.

It sends the wrong message at first; Alexis giggles, tightening one hand in Twyla's hair, but it seems to register correctly in Alexis' brain once Twyla says her name again.

"Yeah, Twy?" Alexis draws back, and Twyla's grateful for how she puts enough space between them for Twyla to get her bearings. "Everything okay?"

It's an echo of last night; Alexis had gone above and beyond to make sure that both Ted and Twyla had been as into things as she had been. Alexis' capacity for kindness has always been evident, even when she'd first come to town, and the thought of Alexis back then compared to the Alexis on top of her now is enough for Twyla to pull her down for another kiss. Her hands tangle in Alexis' hair, and Alexis settles on top of her, straddling Twyla's waist, and it feels like such a natural extension of their friendship, like they've always been this way.

Alexis trails her fingertips down Twyla's face, sketching a line from her eyes to her jaw. "You should've told me you were such a good kisser."

Twyla laughs, leaning into the absurdity of the mental image: Alexis, new in town, and Twyla saying something off-hand like, _By the way, one day you're going to like kissing me_. It's easier to relax when it's just the two of them, when she's not worried about what this means for _Alexis and Ted_ , and for a moment, it feels like _Alexis and Twyla_ could become a thing.

"Thank you," she says, biting back a self-conscious smile. "I've... never had complaints, but that's good to know."

"Good."

Alexis settles a little more of her weight onto Twyla, easing down and resting her head on Twyla's chest, and presses a kiss to the underside of Twyla's chin. It's something they'd do together if they were a couple, but they aren't, and even though Twyla's running her hands up and down Alexis' waist, fingers tracing her spine and exploring her skin in the daytime light, she can't fully get her mind to settle down and enjoy the moment while it's here.

"Everything's going to be okay with Ted, right?"

Alexis lifts her head, and Twyla tries to steady herself by focusing on the blue of her eyes instead of the worried press of her lips. "I think so."

"I didn't mean to – I don't want to ruin anything."

Twyla's about to say more, but Alexis interrupts her. "You didn't," she says firmly, almost fiercely, and she reaches for one of Twyla's hands and clutches it in her own. "I asked you back here. And we're all grown adults who made our own choices. Like, separately, _and_ together. Right?"

"Right." Twyla's certain of that much.

"So we're all gonna be okay." Alexis tries a little smile, her eyes softer and more vulnerable. Twyla doesn't get to see this side of her that often, and she savours how it's directed at her. "Because we just have to be. You guys are both way too important to me for us to be anything else but okay."

Twyla has no choice but to kiss her again. She leans up into it, propping herself up on her elbows, and Alexis moves with her as they resettle. Her hands tangle in Twyla's hair, cradling her face and stroking her thumb over Twyla's cheek, and Twyla bites back the confession that's on the tip of her tongue.

"We'll be okay," she promises. Alexis is right: they have no choice but to be anything but okay, and she'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Her long-nurtured crush, born of years of watching Alexis dazzle just out of reach, can wait.

Twyla tilts her head up, unable to resist the urge to brush their lips together again, and smiles when Alexis closes the distance between them again, chasing another kiss. Despite her best efforts to push her feelings aside, Twyla knows she could get used to languid mornings waking up with Alexis.

"Let's just, like... see what Ted has to say tonight, when he's home. You can come over for dinner, and we can..." Alexis wiggles her eyebrows. "Figure things out."

Twyla laughs. "I should bring dinner, right?"

" _Yes_ , babe. Totally. It's like you read my mind."

Twyla tries to picture it: a meatloaf plate for Ted, probably, his favourite since they were kids, a chicken spinach salad for Alexis, and a club sandwich for herself. Maybe Alexis will open a bottle of wine, or they'll just stick to water after Ted's long day. Maybe she'll sit on Ted's lap this time, and ask Alexis to show her what he likes, and Alexis' hands will settle on her thighs and Ted's arm will wrap around her waist and she'll feel safe between them, like she's a part of them, like she did last night.

"I'll be there," she says, and Alexis grins. "I can't wait."


End file.
